Ontario Review Board
Re: Vladimir Radosavljevic
ORB File No: 5158
Hearing Held On: Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Place of Hearing: Waypoint Centre for Mental Health
Pursuant To: Section 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code
Before:
Alternate Chairperson: Ms. J. Mills
Members: Dr. P. L. Darby Dr. G. Kerry Ms. A. La Viola Ms. D. Smith
Parties Appearing:
Accused: Vladimir Radosavljevic Counsel: Mr. A. Schloss
Person in charge of Hospital: Representative: Ms. T. Murdock
Attorney-General of Ontario: Counsel: Ms. S. Curry
REASONS FOR DISPOSITION
(Dated February 12, 2026)
OVERVIEW
- Vladimir Radosavljevic was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder on September 8, 2008, for the offence of aggravated assault, contrary to the Criminal Code. He is currently subject to a disposition of the Ontario Review Board (“the Board”) dated December 27, 2024, detaining him at the High Secure Provincial Forensic Programs of the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care (“Waypoint” or “the Hospital”), with privileges extending to staff-escorted passes on hospital grounds beyond the secure perimeter.
ISSUES
On December 3, 2025, the Board convened at Waypoint for a hearing further to s. 672.81(1) of the Criminal Code to review the disposition. The Board was asked to determine whether Mr. Radosavljevic represented a significant threat to the safety of the public at the time of the hearing, and further, what the necessary and appropriate disposition is in the circumstances according to the factors set out in s. 672.54 of the Criminal Code.
The Representative for the Hospital, Counsel for the Attorney General, and Counsel for Mr. Radosavljevic submitted their respective views – Mr. Radosavljevic continues to represent a significant threat to the safety of the public – agreeing that he continues to require the high secure forensic hospital setting at Waypoint, under the current disposition, with no change. At the conclusion of the hearing – all parties maintained their initial positions – a joint submission was put forward for the Board’s consideration.
FINDINGS
- After the hearing, the Board found that Mr. Radosavljevic continues to pose a significant threat to public safety due to his ongoing mental health challenges. Mr. Radosavljevic requires stringent management and monitoring to mitigate risks associated with his potential for violent behaviour. Therefore, the Board concluded that the necessary and appropriate disposition is to maintain his detention at Waypoint, as a less secure hospital environment would be inappropriate given his current state and the requirements for effective treatment to mitigate the threat to public safety.
BACKGROUND
The Hospital Report dated November 12, 2025, was entered as an exhibit at the hearing. The following background information, including the events surrounding the index offence has been taken from the Hospital Report, summarized here as follows.
In March 2008, Mr. Radosavljevic was living with his brother. At the time he was experiencing paranoid delusional beliefs, auditory hallucinations, ideas of reference, thought broadcasting and was increasingly concerned for his own safety. Although he had been prescribed medication, he was not compliant. The victim, Mr. Radosavljevic’s brother, awoke early in the morning to hear him screaming. The victim went downstairs to remind his brother to take his medication. Mr. Radosavljevic was very agitated and was still yelling. He assaulted his brother with a knife, causing several deep lacerations on his right forearm. The victim grabbed a towel to treat the bleeding and retrieved the knife from his brother. According to Mr. Radosavljevic’s mother, this was the first time that he had been physically aggressive towards a family member.
Mr. Radosavljevic is currently 44 years old. He was born in Brampton, Ontario to immigrant parents from Yugoslavia. He exhibited behavioural problems in school and struggled academically. He left school during Grade 10, held a few jobs, after working with his father. He began using cannabis at the age of 14 until the time of the index offence.
Mr. Radosavljevic lived with his parents until age 19, when he first became ill. He was placed in a group home for about two years. Afterwards he lived independently, but he struggled with daily functioning. Before his arrest for the index offence, he had been living with his brother for about two months.
A check of the Canadian Police Information Centre database showed that Mr. Radosavljevic had a series of offences between 2002 and 2006, including convictions for assault, mischief under $5,000, and failures to comply with probation, resulting in suspended sentences, short custodial terms and time served dispositions. Other charges were withdrawn.
Mr. Radosavljevic’s current psychiatric diagnoses are Schizophrenia, Cannabis Use Disorder (in sustained remission, in a controlled environment) and Unspecified Personality Disorder (Antisocial and Dependent Traits). He is capable of making decisions about his medical treatment, and he is capable of managing his finances. He receives a personal needs allowance from the Ontario Disability Support Program.
From about 2001 to 2008, Mr. Radosavljevic experienced a progressive onset of psychotic illness in his late teens, with multiple psychiatric admissions to Peel Memorial Hospital.
After the index offence, Mr. Radosavljevic was admitted to CAMH, where he was stabilized with anti-psychotic medications. He was not a management problem, and he remained clinically stable. He showed increased awareness of his illness, substance use, and treatments, and was granted a disposition that included community living privileges. However, he discontinued clozapine due to problems with swallowing, which resulted in worsening psychosis, despite multiple trials of other antipsychotics.
Ultimately, Mr. Radosavljevic began engaging in substance use, also distributing drugs to other patients. He became aggressive towards patients and staff, including threatening his treating psychiatrist. On June 5, 2013, he was transferred to the High Secure Provincial Forensic Programs at Waypoint.
CURRENT COURSE
Mr. Radosavljevic remains on the Beckwith Program at Waypoint. He continues to experience daily persecutory delusions, hallucinations (auditory and tactile), that periodically escalate into agitation and environmental aggression (punching doors, windows, walls). He usually confines himself to his room during these periods, and he manages his symptoms by requesting PRN medication. During the reviewing year, he has not required seclusion. His privilege levels have fluctuated between A0 and C4.
Therapeutically, Mr. Radosavljevic is cooperative with staff direction, and he socializes briefly when stable. He has demonstrated some periods of improved participation by attending groups, swim program, holiday events, and community meetings. He often prefers solitary activities. Conversations about a trial of clozapine have continued, but he refuses bloodwork and expresses delusional fears about the side effects. He was also approached about starting electroconvulsive therapy (“ECT”), and he declined consent.
Mr. Radosavljevic’s mother is his primary and consistent support, having visited him in person over the last few years. His brother visited once on May 17, 2024. He has no other community supports.
EVIDENCE AT THE HEARING
The evidence included comprehensive testimony from Dr. P. Ismail regarding Mr. Radosavljevic’s current mental health status and behaviour. Dr. Ismail addressed the administration of clozapine, and its related barriers, explaining that Mr. Radosavljevic previously tolerated a clozapine trial in 2010, but he subsequently experienced a dystonic reaction, and now he refuses to take it. He emphasized that the principal obstacle remains Mr. Radosavljevic’s reluctance, which is rooted in a prior dystonic reaction and persistent delusional fears about clozapine. Less invasive blood testing alone would not guarantee consent.
Further, amisulpride was discontinued after a high dose produced no clinical benefit. Dr. Ismail confirmed that Mr. Radosavljevic is presently prescribed four antipsychotics, and that future management may involve dosage adjustments, rather than changes to the medication regimen.
This reviewing year, Mr. Radosavljevic had been more engaged in activities, but that improvement was not sustained. Mr. Radosavljevic reports ongoing persecutory delusions and multimodal hallucinations, frequently causing him to isolate himself in his room, engaging in environmental aggression. He usually requests PRN medication, and he removes himself from communal areas rather than requiring seclusion.
Dr. Ismail informed that the program on Beckwith B provides greater liberties, and staffing supports than many other high secure units, and that the program specializes in treatment resistant chronic psychiatric illness, and that on other units Mr. Radosavljevic would likely have fewer liberties and more prolonged seclusion.
Dr. Ismail advised that a MAPS1 consultation at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (“CAMH”) is pending. Dr. Ismail was asked about the referral timeline, and he confirmed that the referral was made roughly a year and a half ago and that CAMH’s waitlist is currently around two years, so no consult has yet been completed. External consultations in cases of complex management needs are normally done, however given the backlog, interim measures (dose adjustments, PRN protocols, and staffing supports), are currently being implemented.
In terms of insight, Dr. Ismail stated that Mr. Radosavljevic has some insight, insofar as he recognizes when he is having a bad day and will self-isolate. Mr. Radosavljevic’s privilege level currently permits three hours independent off unit access (C4), with potential to progress to level C5. Staff have reported appropriate conduct when he exercises his privileges.
Lastly, Mr. Radosavljevic has lost substantial weight through diet and exercise. Family contact, including reconciliation with his brother, continue to provide protective support.
ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION
(a) Significant Threat
The Board must first determine whether Mr. Radosavljevic continues to pose a significant threat to the safety of the public as defined in Winko v. British Columbia (Forensic Psychiatric Institute), 1999 CanLII 694 (SCC), [1999] 2 S.C.R. 625. Based on the totality of the evidence, including the testimony of Dr. Ismail, the Board has determined that Mr. Radosavljevic continues to pose a significant threat to public safety. Key factors contributing to this conclusion include Mr. Radosavljevic’s ongoing symptoms of his schizophrenia that result in aggressive behaviours, his reluctance to initiate a trial of clozapine, or ECT treatment options, and the challenges associated with his current mental condition.
Mr. Radosavljevic continues to experience persistent psychotic symptoms, including both hallucinations and delusions, despite extensive pharmacological treatment. These symptoms interfere with his daily functioning, which require him to isolate himself to manage the episodes. Staff and other patients can hear him responding to internal stimuli, and while he does not engage in overt violence, he frequently experiences significant distress that necessitates removal from stimulation and the use of medication. Notwithstanding periods of stability, there has been no meaningful or sustained clinical improvement, and his symptoms remain chronic and treatment resistant.
Mr. Radosavljevic refuses to consent to treatment options with the administration of clozapine, and as a result, it is not being pursued. He previously underwent a clozapine trial in 2010, but he experienced a dystonic reaction, leading to an enduring fear. He has since refused to reconsider it, even when offered at the lowest possible dose. In addition, he has a pronounced aversion to needles and bloodwork, which is particularly concerning given the requirement for frequent blood monitoring during clozapine initiation. While the possibility of alternative blood testing technologies was raised, the primary obstacle remains consent. Similarly, he has refused to consent to treatment involving ECT, limiting available options for further symptom reduction.
Although the waitlist for the MAPS assessment is lengthy, the Board is reassured by the alternate measures implemented by the treatment team to assist Mr. Radosavljevic at this time.
(b) Necessary and Appropriate
The Board must next determine the disposition that is necessary and appropriate in the circumstances. The disposition must embrace the principle of the ‘least onerous and least restrictive’ outcome, with due consideration given to Mr. Radosavljevic’s liberty interests, which must also be consistently weighed together with concerns about public safety (the paramount concern), his mental condition, and his reintegration into society, as required by s. 672.54 of the Criminal Code.
The Board has determined that Mr. Radosavljevic requires a detention order at Waypoint, with no change to his current disposition. While noting the efforts of Dr. Ismail and the treatment team have made to engage Mr. Radosavljevic in alternative treatment options, Mr. Radosavljevic remains reluctant to consider those options and is profoundly unwell. To his credit, Mr. Radosavljevic has demonstrated some ability to self isolate and to request PRN medication when needed. However, it is unlikely that he could be managed in a less secure environment without the need for extensive periods of seclusion.
The decision is grounded in several key factors that highlight the inappropriateness of transferring Mr. Radosavljevic to a less secure environment. The Beckwith program is a specialized, highly supervised program to treat individuals with chronic, treatment resistant psychotic illness. The successful management strategies currently in place, include enhanced staffing, graduated privileges and supports that have reduced the need for seclusion and maintained privilege levels. A less secure environment would likely lack these comprehensive resources and protocols, increasing the risk of destabilization.
Accordingly, the Board finds that continued detention at Waypoint’s Beckwith Program is necessary and appropriate to protect the public and to facilitate Mr. Radosavljevic’s rehabilitation under conditions that reduce the likelihood of serious harm.
DATED this 12th day of February 2026, at the City of Toronto, in the Toronto Region.
Ms. A. La Viola
Legal Member
Office of the Registrar
Ontario Review Board